Discover Austria

Introduction

Austria is a landlocked country in central Europe, and it is the mountains that organise it. The Alps occupy 62 per cent of the country — relatively young mountains running across the south and west — while in the east they give way to part of the Pannonian plain, and north of the Danube lies the Bohemian Forest, an older and lower granite range. Those are the three unequal areas Austria divides into, and they explain why one country can feel like an alpine republic in Tyrol and a flat steppe in Burgenland.

The shape is unusual. The westernmost third is a narrow corridor between Germany and Italy, between 32 and 60 kilometres wide; the rest widens eastwards to a maximum of 280 kilometres north to south, and the whole country runs almost 600 kilometres from Lake Constance in the west. It borders eight countries — Germany (801 km), Italy (404), the Czech Republic (402), Hungary (331), Slovenia (330), Slovakia (105), Liechtenstein (34) and Switzerland — the last two of which are outside the European Union.

The Danube crosses the north-east and carries the main transport corridor and much of the population. It rises near Donaueschingen in south-western Germany and runs to the Black Sea: the only major European river that flows eastwards. Its value as an inland waterway grew with the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, completed in Bavaria in 1992, which opened barge traffic between the North Sea and the Black Sea.

Austria emerged at the end of the first millennium from the remnants of the Eastern and Hungarian March, first as a frontier march of the Holy Roman Empire, becoming a Duchy in 1156 and an Archduchy in 1453. It was the heartland of the Habsburg monarchy from the late thirteenth century and a major imperial power in central Europe for centuries, and from the sixteenth century Vienna served as the Holy Roman Empire's administrative centre — which is the accurate version of the usual claim that Vienna was its capital; the Empire had none.

The empire's defeat in the First World War produced the Republic of German-Austria in 1918 and the First Austrian Republic in 1919. Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany in 1938 and ceased to exist as a country until 1945. Full independence returned with the Austrian State Treaty of 15 May 1955; the last occupation troops left on 26 October 1955, the day parliament declared permanent neutrality, and that is now the National Day. Austria joined the United Nations in 1955 and the European Union on 1 January 1995.

Start in Vienna, the capital and the largest city, where the imperial architecture and the institutions it was built for are still the point: St Stephen's Cathedral, the State Opera, and the Belvedere, built for Prince Eugene of Savoy and now the national gallery. Then go up. Nearly half the country is wooded, the Salzkammergut and Carinthia hold the lakes, and the high glaciated ground of the Hohe Tauern is the largest nature reserve in the Alps.

Geography

Landlocked in central Europe, with the Alps covering about sixty per cent of the country and the Danube crossing the flatter north-east.

Read the full Geography guide →

History

A Habsburg possession from 1278 to 1918, an empire built largely by marriage, dismantled after the First World War, annexed in 1938, and neutral since 1955.

Read the full History guide →

Culture

An improbable concentration of composers, a coffee house tradition on the UNESCO list, Baroque abbeys, and an alpine culture in the west that owes nothing to Vienna.

Read the full Culture guide →

Climate Patterns

Temperate continental, with cold snowy winters and warm summers, moderated in the east by the Pannonian plain and dominated everywhere west by altitude.

Read the full Climate Patterns guide →

What are the emergency numbers?

112 for general emergency assistance; otherwise 144 ambulance, 133 police, 122 fire.

Do I have to carry my passport?

Yes. You must carry identification at all times, and authorities may jail and fine you for failing to produce it. Keep a copy somewhere separate.

Do I need a vignette to drive?

Yes, for every motorway and expressway. Buy the sticker at a major border crossing, a petrol station or a convenience shop, or a digital one online from ASFiNAG. No vignette means a fine on the spot.

Is off-piste skiing covered by my insurance?

Very often not — off-piste skiing can invalidate a travel policy. Check that yours names the activity, and go with a qualified guide.

What currency?

The euro. Carrying €10,000 or more in or out of the EU must be declared to customs.

What is 26 October?

Austria's National Day. On that date in 1955 the last occupation troops left and parliament declared permanent neutrality.

How many countries does Austria border?

Eight: Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

Verified against Global Affairs Canada, September 2026.

See Austria through traveler photos →

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Sources & verification Covers the sourced claims on this page.

Checked against Global Affairs Canada — Dial 112 for general emergency assistance, or 144 ambulance, 133 police and 122 firefighters, You must carry identification such as your passport at all times and authorities may jail and fine you for failing to produce it, An autobahn vignette is compulsory for highways, sold at major border crossings, petrol stations and convenience stores or digitally from ASFiNAG, with a fine on the spot for not displaying one, The currency of Austria is the euro and carrying €10,000 or more in or out of the EU must be declared to customs (September 2026).
Checked against UK Government (GOV.UK; FCDO travel advice abroad) — Off-piste skiing is very dangerous and can invalidate travel insurance (September 2026).
Checked against Wikipedia — On 26 October 1955 all occupation troops had left and Austria declared permanent neutrality by act of parliament; that day is now Austria's National Day, Austria borders eight countries: the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Liechtenstein, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland, Austria may be divided into three unequal geographical areas: the largest part, 62 per cent, occupied by the relatively young mountains of the Alps; part of the Pannonian plain in the east; and the Bohemian Forest, an older but lower granite range, north of the Danube, The westernmost third of the pear-shaped country is a narrow corridor between Germany and Italy 32 to 60 kilometres wide, the rest has a maximum north–south width of 280 kilometres, and the country measures almost 600 kilometres in length from Lake Constance, Austria borders eight countries: Germany 801 km, Italy 404 km, the Czech Republic 402 km, Hungary 331 km, Slovenia 330 km, Slovakia 105 km, Liechtenstein 34 km and Switzerland, with Liechtenstein and Switzerland outside the European Union, The Danube rises near Donaueschingen in south-western Germany, flows through Austria and empties into the Black Sea, is the only major European river that flows eastwards, and its value as an inland waterway was enhanced by the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal completed in Bavaria in 1992, Austria emerged at the end of the first millennium from the remnants of the Eastern and Hungarian March as a frontier march of the Holy Roman Empire, became a Duchy in 1156 and an Archduchy in 1453, was the heartland of the Habsburg monarchy from the late 13th century, and from the 16th century Vienna served as the Holy Roman Empire's administrative centre, Vienna is the capital and the largest city of Austria, Austria regained full independence with the Austrian State Treaty of 15 May 1955, the last occupation troops left on 26 October 1955 when parliament declared permanent neutrality and which is now the National Day, and Austria joined the UN in 1955 and the EU on 1 January 1995, Forest cover in Austria is around 47 per cent of the total land area, Hohe Tauern National Park is by far the largest of Austria's seven national parks and the largest nature reserve in the Alps (September 2026).